Put The Ego Away

An important factor to consider in the enhancement of your creativity is your ego (let it go).  By ego I mean the part of you that doesn't like to look dumb or foolish (or whatever words your ego uses).  It’s worth realizing that a large part of creativity stems from your ability to comfortably look foolish.  Paradoxically there are no foolish ideas in the realm of creative thinking, only ideas that lead to other ideas and/or spark further creativity.

Young Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison performed about ten thousand different experiments leading up to the electrical light bulb.  He said of his work “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”  He said of failure “Show me a thoroughly satisfied man, and I will show you a failure.”  He knew that it was only a matter of time before he was able to achieve his objective and that dissatisfaction leads to exploration and discovery.  This is a great way to look at any creative idea or developing vision that you may have.  Great work is often developed through trial and error (not just trial).  It's important to realize that each failed attempt is loaded with valuable information and it's your job to use that information as you continue to move forward. 

If you're overly concerned about how a particular idea, once presented, might make you look then you will not be free to explore.  If that idea turns out to be a temporary setback or short-term failure you will be unable to present or even to create unique original ideas because of your fear.  It's for this reason that you want to intentionally choose to look foolish and actually enjoy the possibilities looking foolish presents to you.  Know that by doing this you will be stepping outside normal, boring conventional thought and into a fresh exploration of the great uncharted imagination.  You will be tapping into the wide open spaces of visionary thought rather than getting caught up in a petty ego restraint.

As you explore leave the part of you that thinks it’s important not to look bad behind.  Remember that it's in your acceptance of looking foolish where you will discover your freedom to create.  A good creativity exercise worth practicing is to intentionally develop ideas that are outrageous, crazy, and "foolish".  Alone or with a group set some rules for unbridled outrageousness.  Then begin intentionally being wild, outrageous, crazy, and "foolish" in your creativity.  Fast and outrageous ideas frequently lead to serious breakthroughs.  Don’t force it, just have fun and let it happen.  Innovate, create, have fun and be the fool with amazing results.

          In a nut shell

   1-Put your ego away
   2-Explore uncharted imagination
   3-Know that breakthroughs are waiting for you
   4-Release the outrageous
   5-Enjoy the breakthroughs

Quote
David Kelly
“If you don’t work under time constraints you could never get anything done because it’s a messy process and it could go along forever.”

Video
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